So I received my shipment of farkle today from Adventure MotoStuff (http://www.amotostuff.com). In this thread I'll comment on the Hepco Becker Engine Guard. (http://www.amotostuff.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=501.220+00+01&Category_Code=versys_650)

Firstly I wanted this engine guard for a couple of reasons. This is a most expensive bike I've owned so far and I wanted to protect it. I'm planning a 5000+km trip next year and if I wipe out at some point, I want to be able to pick and hopefully ride. Finally my old Ninja EX250-H13 had like next to NO accessories of note available and it drove me nuts for years, so I guess I'm saying I'm farkle starved. (Ninja 250 owners will get the H13 reference)

Installation took about 2 hours and was easy enough, I mean as easy as you might think installing a engine guard would be. e.g. tight screws, wishing you had a 3rd arm, etc..

The instructions are ok. They don't really depict the mounting points well and describe next to nothing. Here are some thoughts to guide you along:

1) You don't really have to remove the rad fairing. The instructions say to, but after you get it all installed you'll notice the engine mount bolts are indeed accessible with the fairing in place. It just makes it easier to remove the fairing.

2) Some people have complained about the bolts sucking. They strip, whatever. I didn't find this to be the case and ended up using the ones that came with the package. (I may have a newer Hepco Becker version) I did note the concern and while I was are HomeDepot looking for an allen key that would fit the bolts (a 10mm BTW) I checked to see if I could find better replacement bolts. This is when I noticed how American HomeDepot is in Canada. They had like 3 bins of 10mm bolts and a giant wall of Imperial sizes. No selection of Metric worth mentioning. If you're looking to replace the kit bolts, you might be in for a bit of a hunt. (especially if you're like me and wanted to get riding ASAP)

3) After its all in, I realized I might have some trouble getting it off if I needed to remove the lower fair for anything. The only reason I could think of needing to take it apart would be to get access to the rad cap, which is under the right side lower fairing. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The fit and finish are fine. Nothing touches the fairing and the side bars are 2~4mm wider than the turns signal lights so you get full rad and signal protection. This is an important point. As you can see in my pictures the guard comes around and connects to the other side guard in front of the rad. If I wiped out on a long tour and the guard bent into the rad I would be screwed if the bike was in decent enough shape to start up. This isn't just about protecting your fairing, but also that large and vulnerable rad.

I've read about the Motech guard and wasn't convinced it was worth the money as both guards didn't connect so they supported each other structurally in a crash.

Finally on the looks. The guards look good! I don't think anyone but a Versys owner would notice they were there. They don't stick out and do suit the lines of the bike. The pic on MotoStuff's website is of a Silver kit, which would be awesome since the Blue Versys is mostly Silver, but note that it does say the color is black.

Take a look at my pics. I tried to capture the fit and front bar which connects both sides. You can see how it clearly would protect all the most vulnerable bits.

Hope this helps anyone sniffing around for farkle possibilities.

Thanks for the report. It looks very nice. Something else to add to the list.......

Nice job - I'm tossing between the SW-Motech and the HB engine guards. You gave me more to think about. Great job!

Where are you going on your 5000 km trip?

I'm planning for next year with my brother and dad. I still need to break in the V, and honestly I won't have enough vacation available if I attempt it this year. We're looking at a 12 day ride, with ample time to take in the sights.

I will likely being planing a sub-1000km trip later this summer though. Sort of a planning and prep. Work some packing ideas out and see how it goes.

I called Twisted Throttle yesterday to check their supply on the V46 and the MonoRack for the Versys - they have them in stock. I'm severly tempted to order through them and tell my dealer to pass on the Monorack. I'm in need of luggage desperately.

You do not have to support the engine -- but only do one side at a time :-)

Hey Nimble.

Wordguy is right of course. You bolt the left and right sides separately sort of lower/under the engine. Doing one at a time, which is the most you'll be able to do anyways, will be fine and easy enough. Just make sure you have some meteric wrenches. If you attempt an install with imperial you'll invariably end up messing the bolts up in some way and I don't think you want to worry about removing striped or rubbed bolts/nuts.

I stood the bike up right by propping the opposite peg up on a car jack.

Finally, like I mentioned in my original post, I suggest you either stare at the rad faring until you feel comfortable which mount points are which, or just remove it. But if you do you'll see what I mean. I'm certain I could have installed it without that hassle.

Have fun!

In case you gents are up in the air about crash bars and how they protect, take a look at this photo. You resident idiot decided to close his modular helmet on his still lit cigar and knocked the friggin cherry in my lap which caused me to let go of the front break (to extinguish oncoming lap/boy fire), the front wheel kicked right and down we went, zero speed drop, but absolutely no damage to the V, except the scratched bar and what's left of my ego.
Best money I've spent...so far

Ouch! I was about to ream off a line of HAHA's but realized that would be crass. :D

Hey, we've all done embarrassing stunts while sitting in the driving seat. I had 1 beer, 1 BEER on Canada Day at a friends house one year and completely forgot my kick stand. Everyone could see me from the backyard deck while I started and stalled the engine 5 times before I realized I left my kick stand on. The most shameful bit was that I spent like an hour talking to my friend's neighbor about bikes. He'll standing there wondering what's up with the stalling. Its the simple distractions that will get you every time.

I'm glad to both hear the bars are good for 0 km/h drops and that you managed to get out of a mistake with damage that can be fixed with some black paint!

In case you gents are up in the air about crash bars and how they protect, take a look at this photo. You resident idiot decided to close his modular helmet on his still lit cigar and knocked the friggin cherry in my lap which caused me to let go of the front break (to extinguish oncoming lap/boy fire), the front wheel kicked right and down we went, zero speed drop, but absolutely no damage to the V, except the scratched bar and what's left of my ego.
Best money I've spent...so far

ouch, but good to hear you're ok, and the bike is as well!
I'm thinking I should invest in some of those bars myself...

Tell you the truth, I wouldn't have minded a few haha's...Stupidest thing I done in awhile...But I like the kickstand story...Gotta quit smokin those dumb cigars ;) Thanks all

... extinguish oncoming lap/boy fire ...

But you put the fire out, which is the most important thing :clap:

In case you gents are up in the air about crash bars and how they protect, take a look at this photo. You resident idiot decided to close his modular helmet on his still lit cigar and knocked the friggin cherry in my lap which caused me to let go of the front break (to extinguish oncoming lap/boy fire), the front wheel kicked right and down we went, zero speed drop, but absolutely no damage to the V, except the scratched bar and what's left of my ego.
Best money I've spent...so far


Man that's funny! i can see you now, slapping your crotch & throwing the bike to the ground!! Great stuff!


:D

I think my HB bars are protecting my V better than I could have expected. I dropped it three times (two at zero speed and one at about 10 mph). All three were the result of brain farts!!! Since then not even a close call! I think they are magic!

Installed the HB engine guard yesterday.
Nice and practical.
Thank you for the HB suggestions and feedback. Should have fix it sooner.

Be Happy:)

I have them on now as well. Awesome fit and finish. I hope I'll never need them...

Has anybody painted the Hepco Becker bars silver to match the color of the parts in that area of the bike? Any pictures?

I think most people paint the parts black anyway.

I replaced my Hepco&Becker crashguard's crossmember with a twisted aluminum flat bar, to have an air collector instead of a restrictor. It's also about a pound lighter...
http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/8525/hbcross.jpg (http://img366.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hbcross.jpg)

Pictures like the dropped bike above convinced me to install the HB bars. (Bummer Contractor)
I haven't seen any pictures posted of dropped V's with other gaurds showing no damage to the bike as of yet.

The only problem I ran into during install, which I have posted on another thread is that the nuts did not seat in the engine capture wall and spun before I could get the torque on. I had to shim them with some steel strapping to stop them from spinning, it was a hassel but I got it. No fault of the HB bars there.

Other than that I like the looks of them and with the radiator protection they offer I think the HB's are the way to go.

These bars came in handy this Saturday in the dirt. Low speed, no harm done, just following too closely and couldnt stop in the pile of leaves and soft mud I fell in...Needless to day full drop on side, nothing but a few cosmetic scratches to the bars. Very pleased. These bars are a :goodidea:

ANyone else think of hanging driving lights on these bars? Neil in AVl mentioned it and I agree it seems like its got potential.

Received and installed my HB guard today on a 09 V in CA. The CAlifornia is important because it doesn't fit on a California model.

I had to modify the smog crap cover to make it fit. It wasn't a big deal but I've noticed some don't like to adventure too far with the unusual mods. I've attached a couple pics to show you how it went.

Try that again. Pics too big???

ANyone else think of hanging driving lights on these bars? Neil in AVl mentioned it and I agree it seems like its got potential.

You're right. It has potential for driving lights, cruising pegs and for a horn.
However, I decided to keep my HB clean to take the blunt of an impact if the V tips over.

So I received my shipment of farkle today from Adventure MotoStuff (http://www.amotostuff.com).

The pic on MotoStuff's website is of a Silver kit, which would be awesome since the Blue Versys is mostly Silver, but note that it does say the color is black.


So is there a silver one out there like in the picture? That looks sweet. :thumb:

Just added the HB bars to my V, (thanks for the install info there Under!) The installation was very easy, and I didn't have to remove the radiator fairing to install, but I did remove the bottom radiator fairing screws to move them just enough to let the new engine bolts go in place. Fit great, look great, and still had time to go for a ride after all the tools where put away!

I'm a recent first time rider and have been taking my '09 Versys to work and back over the mountains in south east Arizona. I have been wanting to get sliders or crash bars, but couldn't decide between SW Motech and Hepco Becker, even after reading tons of posts on this site.
Of course, what did I do yesterday? Dropped it on the right side after dismounting! It did minimal damage. Broken end on the front brake handle and bent in the rear brake lever.
My question: Will the Hepco Beckers prevent hitting the foot brake in such a drop?
The reports on the buzzing after installing the SW Motechs has made me leery of them, but the Hepco Beckers look too high to protect the brake lever from the pictures I've seen. Any insights?

Hello,

I'm also considering putting H&B bars on my V.
Does anyone here knows some Europe based internet shops that sell it?
What is the price you guys paid for it?

Cheers.

My question: Will the Hepco Beckers prevent hitting the foot brake in such a drop?
The reports on the buzzing after installing the SW Motechs has made me leery of them, but the Hepco Beckers look too high to protect the brake lever from the pictures I've seen. Any insights?

I have low speed dropped my H&B equipped 09 on the left side suffering only a broken clutch lever, no contact anywhere else except for the crash bar on the left side. The shifter remained untouched as wel las the crank case. :goodidea::clap:

A am not a big fan of the frame sliders, if they bite into the pavement instead of sliding your looking at a ripped/bent frame and the sliding damage. They also transfer a lot of force to a single point in the frame, instead of crash guards which have multiple mount points (two large points and two smaller points with the connector). The two hundred is so worth it, and so is the wait!:goodluck:

I just installed my Hepco Becker crash bars but have a question. I need to torque the bolts and would like to convert these into foot pounds. Can someone help me?

40nM, 27nM and 12nM.

Dave

You can google for converters, there are many. I used this one (http://www.convertunits.com/from/newton+meters/to/foot+pounds).

40 Nm = 29.5 ft-lbs
27 Nm = 19.9 ft-lbs
12 Nm = 8.9 ft-lbs

Thanks Pretbek I saved the site in my favorites :thumb:

I just ordered a set of these H&B crash bars at the german site www.moto24.de (which has all info also in english). Again cheaper to order it in another country, and have it shipped to Belgium... Can't wait to install them, they look really good on the Versys, thanks for having shared your pictures and install memo here :)

You're right. It has potential for driving lights, cruising pegs and for a horn.
However, I decided to keep my HB clean to take the blunt of an impact if the V tips over.

Hi bro

Can PM me the price u paid for HB?

Was it from shop or u imported personally?

Thanks

Having dropped my Versys twice using the H&B Bars there are a number of issues that have come to light.

1/ Anticipate having to bend back or replace your foot brake and or gear selector after a fall. (depending what side)

2/ The standard handlebars can bend a lot after even a minor fall and may need to be replaced. I protected mine with Bark Busters, (this could have made the bending more pronounced as it made the ends a lot more rigid.) they do however protect your levers, and your hands.

3/ These bars will protect your engine and radiator covers in the event of a slide. they wont however, protect your bike should the tops of the bars hit something (as happened to me) they are prone to bending back and causing a bit of damage, (like a punctured radiator, and marked frame). that being said without them I'm sure the damage to the bike would have been worse.

4/ If you do fit these bars, tell your insurance company, this will alleviate any headache's later on, Trust me.

I'm considering my options atm wether to try add fix the bars i have and add an angled cross beam to aid in its Structural rigidity and also add a extra brace, or go for the SW Motec's.

Pictures can be seen elsewhere in this forums under naked versys pics
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4485&page=7

Hope this gives you some help in your decision making.

Will this engine guard work on the 2009 versys?

it will work the only change from 2008-2009 is the addition of charcoal canister on CA Models

So is there a silver one out there like in the picture? That looks sweet. :thumb:
I was thinking of sending mine out for powder coat silver. I think it would look good on the bike. Cost is a factor though, I may just keep it black. 2010 bike, so it will look good either way right?

what about 09 model? somebody said it doesn't fit on the left side, the bar hit the side grey box ..

Fit's 09 model without any problem. My is 09 model and see image below.
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy162/fastoman/HornCompactItaly1.jpg

:goodluck:

Mine is also 09...fits without any problem..

I think the problem you are talking about is the "other" left side, on the California models that have the evap cannister installed (which mine does). I ust orderd the HB bars and will have to do the mod that someone posted on page 1(I think) on this thread...Just a matter of trimming the evap cannister cover.

Could someone please give me a diameter measurement at the top of the bars? I am wanting to add a set of brackets to hold my PIAA 510's. Thanks in advance.
JCIII

H&B Bars are 7/8 of an inches. Correct me if wrong.

:cheers:

Fit's 09 model without any problem. My is 09 model and see image below.
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy162/fastoman/HornCompactItaly1.jpg

:goodluck:

Nice horn Fastoman.

I talked to adventure MOTO today & was advised they were 1" diameter. Just an FYI.
JCIII